Fledglings

While visiting upstate NY this weekend, we saw these baby robins! The nest was built on the front porch in a planter.

What amazed me is how quickly the birds grew. The first time I saw them, their eyes were closed. The next days their eyes were open and the feathers well defined.

This is the robin's third brood this summer. Talk about being a busy Mom ;)

Chasing woodchucks

A woodchuck has decided that the perfect place to live is under our shed. This drives Danny crazy and he is always chasing the woodchuck!

The woodchuck may appear slow and stupid, but it is very cautious and moves surprisingly fast.


I don't think that Danny will ever catch this creature, but I give him credit for never giving up, especially on hot days!

Two Fawns

I had the front door open this morning while it was nice and cool. Danny was at the door sniffing, so I peeked out the door and saw two fawns crossing the front lawn. I grabbed the camera and by the time I was ready they were at the end of the driveway. I managed to get this shot off before they hopped off into the woods.

Ducks , Foxes and a Coyote

We have not seen Maddy and Paddy for about 2 weeks, so we think they have found a new home for the summer. They also disappeared when the weather turned warmer last year, so we are optimistic that we will see these ducks again next spring.

When Jeff was moving the lawn this weekend, the coyote ran across the lawn. The interesting thing was that when Danny went out a few minutes later, he immediately ran to the area where the coyote had been.

Danny is always sniffing out various scents in the yard and he will follow the scent trail. Sometimes he runs at full speed, nose down and I wonder just what he is chasing.

Jeff also saw the fox and one of the kits in a neighboring yard, so they are still around somewhere.

Wilton is #16 on top earning towns

Three cheers for our town of Wilton! Wilton has placed #16 on Money's list of highest median household incomes in the US.

Wilton's median income is $163,000.

Other neighboring towns which rank ahead of Wilton are:
13 - Weston
14- Darien
15 - New Canaan

I thought it was interesting and surprising that 4 towns in Fairfield County would be in the top 25 and all grouped together !

For details see:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_highest_income.moneymag/16.html

New Finds

The past few months have unearthed some new finds.

On the left, is a bottle that was sticking out of the ground in the back yard. It is marked "DESIGN PAT 89237" on the bottom and I think it looks like some sort of medicine bottle.

The bottle on the right is also a clear glass bottle. This one I found as I was using some left-over rocks and creating borders around some of the flower beds. It had a rusty metal cap that crumbled in my hand when I tried to screw it off. There are no discerning marks on the bottom. Valerie thinks it's anther medicine bottle, but I think it's just too small. I think it's something like a tonic or vanilla extract bottle. Maybe you have an idea?

Heat Wave

We may think the weather is hot, but poor Danny is miserable. Even with the air conditioning on, he just sits and pants. When I get in at night, we usually play ball - now Danny will chase it once and head back inside.

The funny thing is that he is an Alabama dog - shouldn't Connecticut weather be a breeze for him ?

Jeff has suggested shaving Danny, but I love his coat too much to have it cut off.

Rhodies

We know that summer is here, because the rhododendrons are in bloom. Along one edge of our property is a big wall of rhodies (as our landscaper friend calls them).

When we first moved in I was not very fond of these plants and suggested they be removed. The landscaper gave me an "are your crazy" look and said do you know how many people would love to have these ? A year later, I have changed my mind. They act as a nice buffer and it is beautiful when they are all in bloom.

Luckily the deer have shown no interest in these bushes. Hopefully the new fawn that visits will follow his Mom's lead and ignore these flowers.

Wanna go for a ride?

When I ask Danny "Wanna go for a ride?" he always takes me up on it. Sometimes we go downtown and walk the main street, sometimes just for a ride, and sometimes we go to the dog park. Yesterday, we went to Winslow Park otherwise know as the Westport Dog Park.

I opened up the trunk to get his blanket out and he jumped right in the trunk!

When we got to the dog park, there were six or seven dogs already in the park playing. Usually, Danny is ready to play with the other dogs, but yesterday he was just interested in sniffing everything and everyone.

We took a walk around the park and after about 45 minutes headed for home. About 3 minutes into the ride home, Danny was sleeping in the back.